The Best Credit Cards for Good and Excellent Credit Scores [In-Depth]

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Congratulations! Having good or excellent credit means you’ve managed your credit well, and have earned the privilege of being able to select from the best credit cards available.

The world of enjoying premium travel benefits, paying for your trip with miles or points, earning cash-back on your purchases, and knowing you have coverage when things go wrong is great to experience.

However, you probably didn’t reach a high credit rating without having a few premium cards already, so you’ll want to select any new credit cards wisely. Consider factors such as Chase’s 5/24 Rule, avoiding duplication of benefits, and the expense of high multiple annual fees not offsetting the benefits received.

Let’s take a look and compare some of the best credit cards for those who have achieved a good to excellent credit score, review the benefits and drawbacks of each card, and determine which cards are worth adding to your credit card portfolio.

What is Good to Excellent Credit?

Credit scores are used by lenders to determine whether to grant you credit, and the terms under which they’ll extend that credit. Having a credit score that is good to excellent will get you the best terms, including lowest interest rates, lowest down payment, and lowest fees.

The exact numbers for a good to excellent credit score vary. Credit reporting agency Experian, for example, defines a good credit score as one that is 700 or better and an excellent credit score as 800 or better. Equifax, another of the three credit reporting agencies, describes a good credit score as being between 700 and 750 and an excellent score 750 or above.

VantageScore, a credit scoring model developed by the three credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Transunion, and Experian), concurs that a good credit score is one that is at least 700 to 749 and an excellent score is one that is 750-850.

Bottom Line: If your credit score is between 700 and 850, you fall into the good to excellent credit range. Check out this article for more info on this topic. If your score is still low, you might need to look into getting a credit card for bad credit to start boosting your score.

If you’re a frequent traveler with significant travel spending, having a premium travel credit card is essential for earning maximum travel rewards, getting the best travel perks, and being able to redeem those points for the most value flexibly.

Any of these premium travel credit cards can deliver to varying degrees in all cases, so if you can offset a hefty annual fee with the value you receive, select the card that matches up best with your specific travel preferences and spending habits.

Bottom Line: Premium travel credit cards deliver significant travel benefits, but they often come with a high annual fee. If you think a card may have value for you, try the card for a year, then evaluate whether you received enough value to justify keeping the card and paying the renewal annual fee.

Enjoy the benefits of using points and miles earned on your credit card to fund a spectacular vacation. Image of Porto, Portugal by Christine Krzyszton.

The Best Overall Rewards-Earning Credit Cards for Good to Excellent Credit

Earn 20,000 mile sign up bonus (worth $200) once you spend $1,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.

Earn 10X miles per $1 spent across thousands of hotels

Earn 1.25X Miles on every purchase

Redeem points for travel as a statement credit

Only good for the frequent traveler

Cannot transfer miles to partners

Citi ThankYou® Premier Card

Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Redeemable for $750 in Airfare at ThankYou.com

3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on Travel, including Gas Stations

2 points per $1 spent on dining/entertainment

Annual Fee: $95, waived for first 12 months

$95 Annual Fee

The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Card and the Barclays Arrival® Premier Card each earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, not just specific categories. If your purchases don’t fall into the bonus categories offered by other cards, the simple earning structure on either of these cards might serve you well.

Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners.

0.0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, then a variable rate, currently 13.24%, 17.24% or 21.24%. Terms.

Annual Fee: $0

No additional bonus business expense categories

If your business has high travel expenses, you’ll want to select the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card over the Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card, as the latter earns only 1% cash-back on travel expenses, while the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card earns 3 points per dollar spent in this category.

Another no annual fee card that delivers solid cash back for your business is the Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card. No need to keep track of bonus categories or quarterly promotions as the card earns 1.5% cash back on every purchase you make resulting in real dollars you can invest directly back into your business.

Bottom Line: Selecting the right business credit card to maximize earnings requires making sure your most significant business expenses match up with the bonus spending categories of the card you’re considering — and the rewards and benefits you receive offset any annual fees.

Points earned on a rewards-earning hotel loyalty credit card can result in free lodging. Image by Christine Krzyszton.

The Best Domestic Airline Credit Cards for Good to Excellent Credit

Best Airline Credit Card for Good to Excellent Credit

Benefits

Drawbacks

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®

2 miles earned/dollar spent on American Airlines, 1 mile/dollar all other purchases

Bottom Line: If you travel frequently and value lounge access, you will benefit greatly from having one of the premium airline-branded credit cards that charge a $450 annual fee and offer airline lounge access. The annual fee you pay for any of these premium cards will be less than a 1-year lounge membership in either the Delta Sky Club, American Airlines Admirals Club, or the United Club. The benefit of free checked bags also provides savings that can offset the annual fee.

Enjoy a Free night after each account anniversary year at IHG hotels worldwide.

Free reward night when you redeem points for any stay of 4 or more nights.

If you frequently stay with any one hotel brand, you’ll realize co-branded credit cards typically come with a long list of benefits including free nights, elite status, and in some cases, lounge access. There’s a hotel credit card that will fit your hotel stay preferences and elevate your experience.

That said, we’re not comparing apples to apples here, as there are some premium cards on this list with substantial benefits and equally hefty annual fees.

Before applying for Chase credit cards, be sure to check how the Chase 5/24 rule affects each card.

Bottom Line: Select the perfect hotel loyalty credit cards based first on the brand you stay frequently and then on whether the benefits you receive offset the annual fee.

7X points on qualifying purchases with hotels from the Hilton portfolio. Terms.

Annual Fee: $0

Hilton Honors points offer limited redemption options

Citi ThankYou® Preferred

Earn 2 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on Dining Out & Entertainment

0% Intro APR on purchases for 15 months from date of account opening and 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months from date of first transfer; after that, the variable APR will be 15.49% - 25.49% based upon your creditworthiness

Bottom Line: If your credit card portfolio includes several cards with annual fees and you’re trying to reduce these costs, you may want to find similar cards that do not charge annual fees. For example, the Hilton Honors® Ascend Card charges a $95 annual fee, while the Hilton Honors® Credit Card does not charge an annual fee. There may be a trade-off in benefits that you’ll have to evaluate in the process, but you could save a lot on annual fees.

Discover It® and Discover It® Cash Back Match cards earn 5% cash-back on quarterly bonus category purchases, and all cash-back is doubled on your first year card anniversary, making these cards good savings tools to fund an annual vacation at the end of your first year as a new cardholder.

Bottom Line: Credit cards with quarterly bonus earnings limit the amount you can earn annually, but there may be value beyond the quarterly earnings, such as additional redemption options, 0% APR periods, or other perks and benefits.

The Best Cash-Back Cards for Good to Excellent Credit

$150 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months.

3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%).

Low intro APR: 0% for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable rate, currently 14.99% to 25.99%. Terms.

Annual Fee: $0

2.7% foreign transaction fee

Citi® Double Cash Card

1% Cash back when you make a purchase on your card and 1% cash back when you pay for the purchase

No annual fee

Minimum redemption is $25

3% foreign transaction fee

Discover It®

0% APR for 18 month on balance transfers, 6 months for purchases

5% Cash back on quarterly category purchases

Cash back matched at first card anniversary

No annual fee

No travel perks

Not as widely accepted as Visa, MasterCard, American Express

Not as valuable the second year without the double cash back

For everyday purchases in any category, the Citi Double Cash Card will allow you to earn a consistent 2% cash-back on every purchase.

If you want to transfer high-interest credit card balances, the Discover It® may be a good choice, with its 0% APR for 18 months balance transfer option. If you can max out earning 5% cash-back on quarterly category purchases and have all your cash-back doubled at the first card anniversary, you can use those funds to help repay the balance transfer amount before the 0% APR period expires.

Bottom Line: Cash-back is the most flexible reward you can earn, so you can’t go wrong having a cash-back card in your wallet. For the best possible earning potential, it is critical to select a card that closely matches your spending habits.

Generally, an excellent credit score is one that is 750 or above.

Final Thoughts

Although this may seem like an exhaustive list, this is only a sample collection of credit cards we consider best for good to excellent credit. Depending on the category of card you’re looking for, you’ll find dozens, if not hundreds, of other choices.

We’ve abbreviated some of the benefit summaries for condensed content and easier comparisons, so you should review cardholder agreements for each card before applying.

FAQ

What does good to excellent credit mean?

The most common credit scores used by credit reporting agencies are the FICO or VantageScore. Good to excellent credit means that your credit score for either of these is in a range between 700 and 850.

What do you mean by the Chase 5/24 Rule?

The Chase 5/24 rule is an unpublished rule based on crowd-sourced feedback of Chase credit card approvals and denials. It refers to how many total credit cards, not just Chase credit cards, that you’ve opened in the past 24 months. Generally, your application for certain Chase credit cards will not be approved if you’ve already opened 5 (or more) credit card accounts in the last 24 months.

Is is worth it to have a card with a $450 annual fee?

The only reason to hold a credit card with a $450 annual fee is if you receive value from the card that exceeds $450. This logic applies to any credit card that charges an annual fee. For example, if you travel frequently with a certain airline and pay $600 for a membership to access their affiliated lounges, having a credit card that includes lounge membership but charges an annual fee of only $450 makes economic sense.

What is the best card for my large business?

The best card for your large business depends on the spending habits of your business, the specific features or benefits of the card that you will actually utilize, and whether you can redeem the rewards for something of value.

Your greatest business expenses should align with the spending bonus categories on the card and spending limits on those categories. If your business spends $60,000 a year on offices supplies, for example, you wouldn’t select a card that limits that bonus category to a maximum of $25,000.

If you have a lot of employees, additional free employee credit cards would be an important feature to look for in a card. If your business requires you to travel frequently, you’ll want a card that rewards travel expenses and allows you to redeem your rewards for travel.

What is the best card for my small business?

Features and benefits that are important to a small business vary greatly. However, if you’re trying to keep costs to a minimum, you might select a rewards-earning business card with no annual fee such as the Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card.

Consider a card that matches the spending habits of your business with bonus spending categories on the credit card for maximum rewards earning. If you’re a road warrior, for example, you might select a card that rewards purchases at gas stations and hotels.

Selecting a card with a 0% APR period for purchases and balance transfers may also be an option to help with your small business cash flow.

Reviewing the benefits of each card you’re considering and asking yourself whether it adds value to your business can help you select the perfect card.

Can I qualify for a credit card without good to excellent credit?

The short answer is yes; you do not need good to excellent credit to get approved for a credit card. But the best credit cards may require good to excellent credit. Before you apply for a credit card, you should know your credit score, which you can find by accessing sites such as Credit Karma.

You can also visit Cardmatch and input your information to view credit card offers which have already been matched specifically to you.

Christine, who lives in Northern Michigan, travels about 300,000 miles a year despite her remote location. Her expertise is traveling the world on a weekend with no pre-determined destination in mind, letting the cost of the airfare determine where she will go. She has over four million flown miles and elite status on all three major domestic carriers.

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Advertiser Disclosure

Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. For more information on our advertisers, see here.